


Discourse and Topographical Maps

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-01-04
Updated: 2008-01-04
Packaged: 2019-05-31 08:59:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15116099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: "I like my depression with a twist."





	Discourse and Topographical Maps

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

  
Author's notes: Done for fuyu_ginga's LJ challenge of no sex, no making out, etc, etc, etc. Was also supposed to be under 1500 words but I didn't make it. Had been looking for a while to do another story in this series...glad her idea made it come to mind.  


* * *

“I cannot believe this shit.” CJ asked. “Are we really doing this? Why are we doing this?”

“We’re doing this because we don’t want to fail Duncan’s class.” Josh said.

“Albie Duncan is an asshole.” Larry added. “We’re not going to fail Josh.”

“I am going to need to be much higher if this is going to continue. Pass me the plaster of Paris.”

“I think your boyfriend is lurking outside.”

“What?”

CJ looked up from her sitting position on the carpet. Josh, Donna, and Larry were down there too. Tonight they were making a topographical map of Pre WWII Europe for their class project. Toby was looking out the window of CJ’s flat with a beer and cigarette.

“What are you talking about?” she asked again.

“McGarry; I think he’s lurking around outside. In fact, I’m sure of it.”

“No way. What reason would Professor McGarry have to be outside?”

She got up going to stand beside him at the window. Toby got a quick jab in the ribs for the boyfriend thing. No one in the room besides him knew what was happening between her and the professor.

“Oh my God, that is not Leo McGarry. I think it’s a vagrant.”

“There are no vagrants in Oxford.” Donna replied. “That’s what my dad believes anyway.”

“Maybe Leo’s wasted.” Josh said. “Do you have any potatoes, Calamity Jane? We could really get this party started with a couple of spuds.”

CJ muttered something and went back to looking out of the window.

“What would Leo be doing here anyway?” Josh asked, back on the same planet as everyone else.

“Leo is not here, Joshua.” CJ said. “And he is not my boyfriend.”

“Bet he wishes he was.”

“Shut up Larry. Tobus, if you're not going to do anything but cause you can just go home. This piece of shit project is due in two days and Heckle and Jeckle thought tonight would be a good time to start.”

“The paper’s already done, and it’s perfect. Not even Duncan will be able to find fault with it.” Larry said. “The map will be passable. Let’s get high.”

“That’s it…everybody go home.”

“What?” CJ, we’ll get serious; I promise.”

“I'm just tired and not in the mood anymore Josh. For real, we’ll finish this some other time.”

“When?” Donna asked though she had nothing invested in it.

“Tomorrow, after I do some other stuff. Come over at like six and we’ll get it done if we have to stay up all night. Larry, put it on the counter; I don’t want to trip over it.”

He did as she asked but then just sat there with the rest of them as if she did not ask them to go home.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” CJ reiterated, starting to gather up their things. 

Donna got the hint first and grabbed her backpack.

“I think CJ wants us to leave.” Larry said.

“Wow, what gave you the hint Princeton?”

It took a little while but the three of them, Larry, Josh and Donna, clamored out of the front door.

“Ziegler gets to stay?” Josh asked, obviously heartbroken.

“Oh no, believe me, Ziegler is going too. Are you walking Donna home tonight?”

“I’ll walk her to the end of her road…I don’t want her father to see me.”

“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow in class Larry.”

“Are you alright, CJ?” he asked, looking at her as only he could. CJ wanted to hide from the scrutiny.

“Yeah. Goodnight.” She squeezed his hand before leaning to kiss his cheek.

He didn’t want to leave her but he obeyed her wishes. CJ closed the door, turning to glare at Toby.

“How could you do that in front of people? Whatever Leo and I have is really personal and I would not have shared it with you if I knew you were going to blab it to other people.”

“Don’t get mad at me because he’s stalking outside of your apartment.”

“Dammit Toby!”

“What? I didn’t do this.”

She went over to the counter, grabbed the crumpled pack of Marlboro Lights and lit one. CJ ran one hand over her face. She was more tired than ever over the past few weeks. It was crunch time with her courses…getting all A’s was important. Her strive for perfection was difficult for CJ to brush aside.

“What could he possibly be doing here?” she asked, hardly above a whisper.

“Go and ask him. Maybe he got lost.”

“You need to go home. I don’t want Lyman thinking I favor anyone over him.”

“You better favor me; and maybe I should stay. If McGarry’s drunk I don’t want him getting rough with you.”

“I can handle him.” CJ replied, not at all sure that she could. She still didn’t want Toby there.

“I wasn’t trying to bust your balls with the boyfriend thing.” He said.

“Yeah, whatever.”

“CJ…” he put his hand on her arm. “I'm serious. You know how I am, I open my mouth and the truth comes out.”

“What is your interpretation of the truth as concerns Leo McGarry and I.”

Toby bit down on his tongue and took a deep breath. He was in no mood to get into a fight with her tonight. If she wanted to while away her time in Oxford with that guy, who was he to say otherwise. He leaned and kissed her cheek.

“Goodnight. Call me later alright.”

Grabbing his jacket, Toby walked out of the apartment. CJ went back to her window and looked. He was still out there, smoking a cigarette as if he were waiting for someone. He was not standing close enough to her window for CJ to knock and get his attention. She would have to go out there…he couldn’t stand there all night. She walked out and down the stairs to the back door. When it opened up, Leo’s eyes immediately saw her.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Can I come in?”

“I have a telephone, you know? I had a houseful of people and it wasn’t easy to explain this.”

“I've tried to call; you won't answer.”

“That’s what happens when you're mad at someone.”

“Can I come in?”

“It’s not going to happen tonight Leo. Just go home.”

“I'm as sober as a damn stone Claudia Jean and I know it’s going to start pouring on me in about thirty seconds. Please.”

She took a deep breath, throwing the cigarette butt out the door. Hell, she sent everyone else home and wasn’t really in the mood to sit around by herself. 

“Yeah.” She relented with a nod.

Leo got rid of his cigarette too and followed her through the back door. Back inside, she offered him a Coke as he sat on her couch. Leo watched her fiddle around with the record player and the voice of Joni Mitchell came out of the speakers.

“I never used to like Joni Mitchell.” She said, sitting beside him on the couch.

“What changed your mind?”

“Blue.”

“I can see that. I'm sorry for just showing up like this.”

“I don’t want my friends…they don't know about us. Not that there really is an ‘us’. You can't lurk outside of my apartment. It’s a good way to blow the whole secret thing to hell.”

“I wanted to talk to you.” Leo said, as if that justified everything.

“About what?”

“Anything; I just wanted to talk to you. Claudia Jean, I'm kinda used to you.”

“Well that’s not a good idea since I'm going home next month.”

“Yeah.” Leo sipped the soda. He looked at CJ while she studied her cuticles. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

“Can we stop sounding like an Ingmar Bergman film? If you have something to say to me Leo, then say it.”

“I like being around you; I like talking to you. Hell, no one else listens to me except Jed and I think it’s more out of sympathy than anything else.”

“Well, talk.”

“You a fan of Bergman?”

“I like my depression with a twist.” CJ replied.

Leo smiled. He found he didn’t have much to say and for a while, they sat in the silence. He just wanted to be close to her and didn’t want to say so. CJ was a very smart girl though; he was sure she could figure it out on her own. He was also sure he needed to stop thinking of her as a girl…she was very much a woman.

“Where were you born?” she asked.

“Boston, during the hottest day on record.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I'm from a long line of crazy, talented, doomed men.”

“You're not doomed. Leo, please stop saying that.”

Despite the urge not to, she clutched his hand. Leo stroked her soft skin before holding it to his lips. CJ ignored the flutter in her stomach.

“Well, I've lived longer than my old man so I'm up on something.” Leo finished the Coke and put the empty can on the table.

“What happened to your father?”

“He died.”

“I heard. How?”

“I’d rather not say.”

“Did you love him very much?” CJ asked.

“I think so; he was a hard man to know. I was young when he died.”

“Tell me about him.”

“You really want to hear?”

“I do…talk to me Leo. I'm here and I want you to talk to me.”

***


End file.
